China's Next Aircraft Carrier Will Be a Massive Leap Forward

China’s third aircraft carrier is under construction and will likely see several technological improvements over the country's first two. The ship, known for now only as 002, has been under construction since 2015. The new carrier will likely be larger than her predecessors and sport an electromagnetic launch system for aircraft, allowing for larger, heavier aircraft to conduct longer distance flights with more weaponry.

China commissioned its first-ever aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, in September 2012. Formerly an unfinished Soviet aircraft carrier, the ship was bought in 1998 by a Chinese businessman from Ukrainian officials under the pretense of converting the ship into a floating casino. Somehow, the ship was transferred to the Chinese Navy, where it was studied and then made into an operational aircraft carrier. A second carrier known as 001A (see photo above) was built as a close copy of the first and launched late last year.

One of the major differences between the three carriers is size. The first carrier, Liaoning, was locked into the size of the existing 67,000 ton hull. The second carrier is expected to be about the same size, as China learned how to make a copy of an aircraft carrier. The third carrier is expected to tip the scales at about 80,000 tons, and 002 will also likely be slightly longer than Liaoning’s 999 feet.

A larger carrier will mean several things. 002 will carry more fuel, both for its aircraft and itself, enabling the carrier to operate farther from China and the aircraft to fly more sorties from the carrier. The newer, larger carrier will also have more room for aircraft, both in the hangar and on the flight deck itself. The second carrier, 001A, has a smaller island than Liaoning, freeing up deck space, and 002 will likely shrink her island even more.

As a result, the carrier’s air wing can be expected to grow substantially larger. Liaoning can carry up to 24 Shenyang J-15 “Flying Shark” multi-role fighters, while 001A will probably increase that to 30 J-15s. 002’s air wing could grow to 40 fighters plus a handful of propeller-driven carrier onboard delivery transports and airborne early warning aircraft. By comparison, U.S. Navy Nimitz and Ford-class carriers typically embark with about 66+ aircraft at a time, and the U.S. ships can carry up to 90 aircraft if the situation warranted it.

China’s third carrier will not have a ski jump such as this one on Liaoning.

VCGGetty Images

Another major difference is that, unlike Liaoning and 001A, 002 is expected ditch the bow-mounted ski ramp and use an aircraft catapult launching system. The ski ramp system, while simple and relatively foolproof, prevents propeller-driven aircraft from launching from the carrier. The use of ski jumps also limits jet aircraft to relatively light fuel and weapons loads, reducing their effectiveness and range.

China is reportedly skipping over steam-driven aircraft catapults to instead build an electromagnetic aircraft launching system (EMALS), similar to that recently put into service on the U.S. Navy’s newest carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford. A report from Defense News in November 2017 stated that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had wanted EMALS installed on 002, but engineers couldn’t reconcile a conventional power plant with the huge power demands of the electromagnetic launch system. Chinese naval engineers have now apparently solved the power issue. (The USS Gerald R. Ford is nuclear powered.) With EMALS, the range and armament of the aircraft will be dictated by the aircraft itself, not the ship carrying it.

002 will undoubtedly come with other improvements. A more robust air defense weapons suite is likely, with close-in weapons such as the HQ-10 Flying Leopard short-range air defense system similar to the American RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM). Passive anti-missile and anti-torpedo defenses will be expanded to give the ship a fighting chance under attack. Expanded medical and water desalination capabilities, already a necessity, could make the ship useful in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions as American carriers already are.

China is smartly tiptoeing into the world of carrier aviation, a world that rewards recklessness and poor judgement with destruction and death. Even the nation's third aircraft carrier may not truly reflect what Beijing wants in a flat top, and more carriers are surely coming. We’ll know more when 002 is completed, likely within the next year.

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